đź’Ą POW! ZOK! SOCK! đź’Ą The Adam West Batman TV Series Turns 55 in 2021: How Are You Celebrating?

On January 12th of this year, the beloved Adam West-starring Batman TV series celebrated it’s 55th anniversary. That’s five and a half decades of campy, colorful and absolutely FUN entertainment from a three season-long show that, for many, was our first exposure to Batman, as well as the overall DC brand.

Have you already celebrated this anniversary, or if you haven’t just yet, will you? Here’s a few ways you can dance your celebratory Batusi:

If you’re looking to celebrate via DCUI, check out these comics that perfectly capture the aesthetics and tone of the show:

  • Batman '66: The Digital First series that kicked off a small library’s worth of titles inspired by Adam West and Burt Ward’s adventures.

  • Batman '66 Meets The Green Hornet: Written by acclaimed filmmaker and comic book writer Kevin Smith, and inspired by Green Hornet and Kato’s appearances in season two of the show. If you haven’t yet seen The Green Hornet TV series that starred Van Williams as the titular hero and Bruce Lee as Kato, do give it a watch when you can, as it was produced and narrated by Batman Executive Producer and narrator William Dozier. While the Batman series was campy and over the top, The Green Hornet was much more down to earth.

  • Batman '66 Meets the Legion of Super-Heroes: Written by Lee Allred, and drawn by the fantastically talented Mike Allred, this two-issue adventure features Batman and Robin meeting those swingin’ teens of the 30th century, the Legion of Super-Heroes! If you love the Batman TV series, but have never read a Legion book before, this series delivers The Goods on the Legion, and will hopefully make you want to sign up with them for further adventures, as the Legion of Super-Heroes is a fantastic franchise.

  • Batman '66 Meets The Man From U.N.C.L.E. : One acclaimed TV series from the 1960s meets another, in this tip-top thriller from writer Jeff Parker. Only an agent of THRUSH would turn this one down. :wink:

  • Batman '66 Meets Steed and Mrs. Peel: Batman Meets The Avengers. No, not those Avengers, the Avengers that aired on TV from 1961 until 1969. It starred John Macnee as John Steed and Diana Rigg as Emma Peel. There was also a movie based on the TV show released in 1998, with Ralph Fiennes as Steed, Uma Thurman as Peel and Sir Sean Connery as the aspiring weather-controlling villain of the piece, Sir August de Wynter. When it comes to this movie, it’s as Green Lantern said in Teen Titans Go! to the Movies, “We…we don’t talk about that.”

  • Batman '66 Meets Wonder Woman '77: The meeting of two all-time TV GREATS! If you’re like most of us who grew up with Adam West’s Batman and/or Lynda Carter’s Wonder Woman, this series is a dream come true. While it’s no TV special starring the two on-screen, this book is still an absolute blast. Definitely a highlight in the Batman '66-branded comic oeuvre.

Outside of comic books, you can celebrate this legendary series by:

  • Watching it on Digital HD, Blu-ray and/or DVD (in all honesty, skip the DVDs and watch it in HD, as the HD re-masters are absolutely stunning).

  • Catching Batman: The Movie, which, as of this writing, is available for free (with ads) on YouTube. It’s also available on Digital HD, Blu-ray and DVD.

  • Watching The Adventures of Batman. Filmation Associates produced this animated series in the late '60s, and it was very heavily influenced by Adam West’s show. You can currently see it on Tubi, as well as digital and DVD formats.

  • Catch the two animated movies that tie into the series, Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders, and Batman vs. Two-Face. Featuring the voices of series stars Adam West, Burt Ward and Julie Newmar (with William Shatner as Harvey Dent/Two-Face! :batparrot:), these movies are fantastic and absolutely worth the time of any Adam West Batman fan.

It’s also worth noting that McFarlane Toys, producer of the highly-acclaimed and best-selling DC Multiverse line of action figures and related products, will be producing Adam West Batman-related action figures and related products later in 2021 under their DC Retro banner.

Here’s a recently-released promotional image for the line that features Batman, The Joker (I hope Romero’s painted over mustache is noticeable :grin:) and Robin, along with a Batmobile. All of this plastic goodness is tucked inside a Batcave playset, which is also slated for release later in the year.

A second series of figures in the line is currently slated to include:

  • The Riddler (likely the Frank Gorshin version, but a John Astin variant would be nice, too)
  • Surf’s-Up Batman
  • Surf’s-Up Joker

So, how will you get your Batusi on for this absolute classic of a TV show? Have you danced the Batusi in a way so as to not attract attention? Hit the beach in your best Batman '66 t-shirt? Climbed up a wall and met a celebrity or two along the way?

Sound off below, same Bat-thread, same Bat-channel! :tv: :batman:

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I’ve actually been meaning to rewatch the movie, and this is a perfect occasion to do it! I’ll probably try snagging a few of those McFarlane figures too if I get the chance :grin:

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I’m game for a re-read of Batman '66 Meets The Green Hornet, along with watching the episodes of Batman that GH and Kato were in. They’re amongst my very favorites of the entire show.

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Adds more to the reading lists… :books: :batparrot:

Also remembers to watch the Batman '66 episodes again at some point. :tv:

:grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes: :superman_hv_4:

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On January 12 (the 55th anniversary of its debut) I had a mini-marathon of several episodes! Batman '66 was my first exposure to superheroes and Batman. It led directly to me reading comic books (although the first Batman comic book I read, Batman no. 234, featuring the return of Two-Face, was way different than the show!).

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Celebrating William Dozier’s forever funtatstic Caped Crusader series by dropping some sheckle pre-pay on this super amaze statue of my gurrrl! :00_batgirl1:

Thx for the heads up on the B’Man66 reading selections as well @Vroom- I’ll be sure to get my eyes on 'em. :smiley:

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Very cool! Which episodes did you watch?

This series was one of my initial exposures to Batman, and DC in general. In 1989, and before Tim Burton’s Batman was released on home video, I watched reruns of Batman on The Family Channel. I loved every episode and couldn’t get enough of the show.

That’s a favorite of mine from the O’Neil/Adams run, and one of my all-time favorite Two-Face (who is my favorite Batman villain, by far) stories in general. Good stuff!

@DC89 Snazzy statue! Do you have this Batgirl figure?

She’s one of my favorites from Mattel’s Batman '66 line.

You’re welcome on the comic recs. Be sure to chime in when you’ve read some schtuff! :00_batgirl1:

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I’m going to get my old cape out of the closet, and run around the neighborhood, and see how many people do one of the following…
(A) - give me a thumbs up
(B) - look at me weird and laugh
(C) - take a pic with their phone
(D) - call the cops on me.
200 (2)

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If I was outside, watering the lawn I don’t have, I’d give you a thumbs-up as you passed by.

…and then I’d turn the hose on the old lady next door that would be freaking out at you, saying “Mad man! Batty man! Ahhh!” :smiling_imp:

She’d get points for quoting Hush, though. :slight_smile:

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:100: :sunglasses: :joy: :joy: :joy:
original

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I watched “Hi Diddle Riddle”/"Smack in the Middle,’ “The Joker is Wild”/“Batman is Riled,” and “The Purr-fect Crime”/“Better Luck Next Time.” In other words, the first Riddler, Joker, and Catwoman episodes.

I was about 3 when Batman '66 debuted and it’s the first superhero related thing I can remember. Between that and the old Filmation cartoons, there wasn’t much way I wasn’t going to be a comic book fan!

I am so glad I learned to read just as Denny O’Neil and Neal Adams were on Batman. They had a good run there in the early Seventies!

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This is one of the best gifs I’ve seen in a minute - thank you :joy:

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Yeah I laughed when I saw it too. :rofl::joy:

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I do in fact own this fantastic figure @Vroom. :+1:

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Singing Batman carols

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Depends on the execution. If it was an actual bat cape and you were obviously doing it for kicks, I would look at you, but not weirdly… more like bemused… and then laugh and give you a thumbs up :slightly_smiling_face:.

If you were running around frantically with a bedsheet tied around your neck on the other hand… :thinking:…

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Maybe I should do a Penguin or Joker marathon episode!
Nah, gonna download the comics to read!:smiley: Happy 55th anniversary Batman, just don’t go on a big pink cake! It maybe a quicksand trap by the Riddler!

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I must admit, in the past 20 years, I’ve probably only rewatched a handful of episodes. It’s one part of my childhood I haven’t revisited often. Maybe I should :slightly_smiling_face:.

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@DC89 Woo! :partying_face: Great collecting minds think alike!

:fist_right:t2: :fist_left:t2:

@moro Do eeet! Make sure you’re reading Batman '66 Meets The Green Hornet when you get to those episodes in season two.

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